1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a self-contained baby bottle warmer that generates heat via an exothermic reaction actuated by insertion of the baby bottle.
2. Description of Related Art
In many instances it can be difficult and inconvenient to locate a suitable heat source to warm food for eating or beverages for drinking. A variety of configurations have been disclosed that utilize heat generated by an exothermic reaction between a liquid and a chemical for the purpose of heating food. For example Semaan, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,873,769 issued Apr. 25, 1989, discloses a water-containing ampule and a quantity of calcium oxide situated within a resilient housing disposed within an insulating envelope that has a cover. Semann discloses means to cause a rod to come into crushing contact with the glass ampule so that the water within the ampule is distributed in vigorously reactive contact with the calcium oxide, thereby heating the food. Other examples of self-contained heating apparatus are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,771,761, 5,220,99, 4,809,673 5,355,869, 5,465,707 and 4,510,919.
An exothermic reaction that provides an alternative to calcium oxide is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,190 to Kuhn et al., which discloses a heater material for use in heating food. The heat pad includes a composite material consisting of a supercorroding metallic alloy power disbursed throughout a porous polyethylene matrix. The heat pad is activated with a suitable electrolyte fluid.
Unfortunately, an exothermic reaction-based warmer has not been developed in a form suitable for heating baby bottles. Convenience and time savings are both very important for time-starved parents, and it would be useful to provide a baby bottle warmer that is portable, convenient to use, simple, and lightweight. Currently there are baby bottle warmers on the market that utilize various types of electrical energy sources to warm a baby bottle for infants. One bottle warmer connects to a car's battery to provide energy, using an adapter connected to the car's cigarette lighter to provide heat to warm a baby bottle. Another version of baby bottle warmer connects to a standard household electrical outlet.
One disadvantage of an electrically-heated baby bottle warmer is related to the requirement to first find an electrical source and then connect the warmer to the source with the proper adapter. This requires a parent who already is loaded down with baby gear to carry around unwieldy cords, cables and adapters in order to ensure that the baby's bottle will be warmed wherever the need arises. In some locations, even finding a suitable source of electrical energy can be difficult outside of the house; for example in grocery stores, restaurants, and at picnics.